It is imperative that fractures of long bones be properly aligned prior to fixation by an intramedullary nail, for example. Improperly aligned bone fragments may result in difficulty in insertion of a fixation device. Since it is imperative to obtain bone alignment of the fracture fragments prior to fixation, crude methods are currently used to obtain such alignment.
Present practices for alignment of fractured long bone fragments include mechanisms for holding a patient's extremity in a fixed position. Such mechanisms include the se of rigid boards, leverage devices or rings around the extremity as a gross relative adjustment of the bone fragments. For precise alignment of the bone fragments, the hands of a surgeon are often subject to continuous exposure of the x-rays from a fluoroscopic image intensifier as the bone fragments are realigned in all planes. The final alignment of the bone fragments is achieved by shifting of the extremity of the patient during constant fluoroscopic radiation exposure to the hands of the surgeon over an extended length of time as the hands of the surgeon hold the bone fragments in position. Once the bone fragments are aligned, an intramedullary fixation procedure may be, used to secure the bone fragments in an aligned position.